Final answer:
Debbie collected 9 7/12 pounds of newspaper for the recycling drive, which is 2 1/2 times that of Josh's 3 5/6 pounds collection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Josh collected 3 5/6 pounds of newspaper for the recycling drive. Debbie collected 2 1/2 times as much newspaper as Josh. To find out how many pounds Debbie collected, we first convert Josh's collection to an improper fraction and then multiply by 2 1/2.
To convert 3 5/6 to an improper fraction: (6 × 3) + 5 = 23/6.
Next, convert 2 1/2 to an improper fraction: 2 × 2 + 1 = 5/2.
Now multiply the two fractions: (23/6) × (5/2).
Multiply the numerators (23 × 5) to get 115, and the denominators (6 × 2) to get 12. So, 115/12 when simplified is 9 7/12.
Therefore, Debbie collected 9 7/12 pounds of newspaper.